By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—Two milestones were recognized Tuesday at the Paris Board of Public Utilities –the board welcomed new member Michael Murphey and said farewell to Gini Roberts as the board’s secretary-treasurer.
Murphey is replacing long-time board member Dr. John van Dyck, who retired from the board June 30. Murphey was appointed by the city of Paris to a four-year term on the BPU board.
Murphey said, “I appreciate the opportunity to serve with you. Clifty Farms represents a significant user and I’m very familiar with working with utilities, but I have a lot to learn and I hope I can contribute to the board.”
Board President David Flowers told Murphey, “I feel you will contribute.” Flowers noted that Murphey’s years of business management and leadership experience will be a true asset to the board.
Roberts is retiring as secretary-treasurer, but will stay on at BPU for another year. She has been with BPU for 38 years and served as secretary-treasurer for 15 years. BPU General Manager Terry Wimberley said, “Gini has served the board with great professionalism and distinction. I appreciate her ability to keep our board environment organized and running smoothly. Her contributions will be missed.”
Roberts was presented with a plaque and a reception was held after the meeting.
With a new member coming on board and the secretary-treasurer retiring, a reorganization of the board was in order, with David Flowers re-elected Board Chairman; Ralph Anderson re-elected Vice Chairman and Bethany Edwards named secretary-treasurer. Edwards has been in training with Roberts for several months.
Wimberley reported good news in the end-of-year financial statements for all three departments.
The electric department showed a rare positive net income for June although June “is typically a tough month,” Wimberley said. “We ended the year in a very good place on the electrical side”, with net income of $139,478 for June and end-of-year net income of $1.34M.
The water and wastewater departments also finished strong, with $566,778 end-of-year net income in water and $365,837 in wastewater.
In other business:
–Wimberley updated the board on the continuing review of whether BPU will be entering the broadband business. A draft of the Broadband Business Plan is being finalized and when board members have had time to review it, the board may send the plan to the state comptroller for review. A presentation to the board on the plan is tentatively set for Sept. 24.
–Wimberley also reported on the ‘imperfect storm’ which occurred the weekend of June 21, noting that the total cost of the storm was $245,000, which included materials, labor, overhead and contracted help.
Photos:
Top, David Flowers presents Gini Roberts with a plaque; bottom, new member Michael Murphey, left in green shirt, attends his first meeting. (Shannon McFarlin photos).
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